Most people think of the Columbia Gorge as a dark evergreen rainforest.
Indeed, that's true in its western portion. When autumn arrives the
western forest has some fall color, mostly from bigleaf maple trees that turn
yellow. But it's not something I'd call spectacular. The
eastern Gorge is a different story. While not close to New England's
display, there are special spots that in good years create a marvelous
scene. This photo is in one of my favorite places, the oak savannas near
Lyle, Washington. I was hiking there in 2009 and as always, kept alert for a landscape
that was worthy of a picture. I stumbled on this forest of Oregon white
oak that brought to mind a cathedral. Besides the yellows of the larger
trees, the small saplings in the foreground were deep red, and all the colors
were magnificent. Fortunately, the weather was stable and I returned
the following day with my 4x5 camera and had similar light and hardly any
wind. It made for an afternoon of contemplation and excitement, two
emotions that aren't easy to encounter together. But finding them is one
of the reasons I continue to do photography.

I usually fail when trying to use words to describe a photo like this.
Steve Murphy, one of my friends and photographic colleagues with a talent of distilling things down said, "It
looks like it was shot in Oz."

If you like this picture, you might also like Dancing
Forest. It was shot several miles west of this area, and you can
see in it the transition to more evergreen trees that mark the start of the
rainforest climate.